[Hepatitis E in a nonendemic region: antibodies to hepatitis E virus in various groups of residents].

Increase in the number of seropositive subjects in the population of European and North-American regions not endemic for hepatitis E stimulated research in this field. This study was aimed at investigating the incidence of IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV-IgG) in subjects with different liver diseases and in groups at increased risk of infection in a nonendemic region. In patients with different diseases of the liver the incidence of anti-HEV-IgG varied from 5.1 to 14.3%, in medical workers and former blood donors not allowed to donate blood because of increased transaminase levels in the blood 5.1 and 5.3%, respectively. In the reference group this level was appreciably lower-only 1.8%, this being rather close to the incidence of anti-HEV-IgG in the population of a nonendemic region (2.1%). There were no seropositive women in the group of healthy pregnant women in a non-endemic region, whereas in an endemic region (in Kyrghyzstan) 15% of pregnant women were seropositive for anti-HEV.